2013 Word of the Year
I have been thinking for many weeks what word I would choose to define my actions in 2013. Finally after much consideration I chose the word focus. It seems as if I spent a lot of 2012 not focused in areas that really needed my attention. I was sidetracked by things I thought were important when they really weren’t.
So, here is how I plan to focus in 2013:
- Faith-I’ve spent too much time reading what others have to say about what God says. This year I plan to focus on studying the Bible in more detail for myself. My devotion time this year will consist of reading a passage of Scripture from devotional material, writing out a verse that sticks out to me, and journaling how I am going to apply what I’ve read to my life.
- Family-My husband and I have been married for just over 15 years now. Our kids are 13 and 10. Time is going by too fast! This year I want to be diligent in being the wife and mom I’m called to be by focusing on my relationships with my family. Sometimes that will mean saying no to some good things in order to say yes to my family. But that’s ok. My kids will be gone before I know it and it will just be Steven and me left at home.
- Ministry-I mentioned that I spent a lot of time last year being sidetracked by things I thought were important but really weren’t. A lot of that had to do with my writing and radio ministry. I was trying to hard to find the formula to success that would get me more readers and more listeners. I lost the focus of what God ordained my ministry to be…to help women. That has been my calling for almost 10 years now. So, this year I will focus more on helping women by writing encouraging posts and providing inspiration and encouragement through my radio show. If my readers and listeners don’t grow much at all this year, I will still be happy as long as I help a few women along the way.
How about you? What are you going to focus on this year?
I want to focus more on growing my spiritual life, Seems I’ve heard a similar theme from other sources about letting God speak personally through His word, and not seeking so much to see what He’s saying to others. And now you have shared this thought again. I read somewhere about the value of just READING the Bible, lots at a time. Not stopping for an in-depth study, but extensive reading to capture a broader view of Scripture. It hit home with me when I turned on the video at BibleGateway and listened to the whole book of James while doing some kitchen cleaning. Didn’t take long, but it was quite meaningful to absorb the whole of it at once. One writer suggested, when using this approach, and a verse grabs you, to jot it down for deeper study later.
I also want to seriously de-clutter and organize my house. I often find myself going in circles, wasting time looking for stuff that I should be able to easily put my hands on. God has shown me that does not constitute wise use of my time. And I want to develop some new friendships, perhaps by having some Bible studies at Quiet Place (which is ready, by the way!). So that’s starters for me.
Ann, that all sounds great! Last year when I read the Bible through I used a Chronological Bible. That really put things in perspective for me. I feel I have a much better grasp on the relationship of the OT to the NT.
I am with you on the de-cluttering too. I’ve got several closets that need to be organized because we are not utilizing them as we should. There are things I know I have, but they are buried so deep in a closet, I end up buying a replacement because I don’t want to dig for them.